In World of Big Stuff, the U.S. Still Rules

By
James R. Hagerty

Updated Dec. 3, 2012 7:38 pm ET

PEORIA, Ill.—Robert LeTourneau, a roving American evangelist and inventor, decided in the mid-1930s that a plot of lakefront land a mile and a half northeast of downtown Peoria would be a fine place to make earth-moving equipment. Skilled labor and suppliers were plentiful; transport links were good.

Nearly eight decades later, Japan's Komatsu Ltd., which owns the plant, still thinks Mr. LeTourneau chose the right location—even though most giant mining trucks made there are shipped overseas to Latin America, Australia, Asia...

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U.S. a Leader in Making Very, Very Big Stuff

The U.S. may not be much good at making small things like smartphones, but it is still a global leader in some of the biggest products, such as mining trucks as big as a two-story house and capable of hauling 400 tons of ore, James Hagerty reports on the News Hub. Photo: Daniel Acker for The Wall Street Journal.